The WSBeat: Real-life ‘West Side Story’; sorry, wrong gang; more

*On Monday afternoon, a ongoing beef between two groups of teens came to a peaceful end when the heads of the two groups shook hands. Witnesses described the genesis of the disturbance to an officer who, in the report, states, “There was a stand-off much like the one between The Sharks and The Jets, but without the finger snapping.”

*Two juveniles had a verbal argument last week, but the victim of threats told officers he wasn’t too concerned: For one thing, the suspect claimed the incorrect gang affiliation for his part of town. (“He doesn’t live there. He should have claimed “xxxx” gang instead.”) And with street lingo favoring the word “cap” for “shoot,” the victim was apparently reassured when the suspect threatened, instead, to “clap” him.

Ahead, six more summaries, including the forger-turned-nanny and the case of the misplaced car keys:

*After finding a forged and cashed check for $2,000, an Admiral-area family decided to fire their nanny of seven months. She was also supposed to purchase a car from the couple, but luckily didn’t show up to complete the transaction. She did make contact though, and helpfully suggested that the title simply be signed over to her online and that she’d send them the cash. Thinking that the agency they’d hired from had performed background checks, the parents were surprised when an officer ran the identity of the nanny and discovered she was wanted in several states on fraud charges.

*A man and a woman tried to pass off counterfeit $100 bills at a Westwood-area convenience store on Friday afternoon. Both were described as white, with the man in a black hat, of medium build and aged 30-49. The female was 18-21 years of age, very thin, and wore a dark hooded sweatshirt. They fled in a dark four-door Subaru.

*Down on Alki early last Thursday, a severely intoxicated woman called 911 to say that she was being held hostage by her boyfriend who would not give her the car keys. As it turns out, they were in her pocket. She had hoped for a ride home, but she got a trip to detox instead.

*Traveling home to West Seattle from Ballard on Saturday evening, a nun encountered an obviously intoxicated teenage girl and offered to give her a ride. But on arrival the teen refused to get out of the car. She was cooperative with officers, however, and turned out to be a Kent resident. No one was able to retrieve her from the Southwest Precinct, but a taxi voucher was rounded up, allowing her to get home.

*A South Park note (they’re handled by the Southwest Precinct too): Early Sunday, at 10th and S. Rose, a young woman with a pit bull stood on a stranger’s porch, repeatedly ringing the bell and asking for someone named Maria. She refused to leave, even when ordered to by officers. Arrested for trespassing, she spit and hit officers and screamed and kicked the patrol car windows. The suspect turned out to be only 16. She was booked into the Youth Service Center. The dog was dropped off at Animal Control.

*Lives saved: Early Sunday, in a Harbor Avenue residence, two women sent multiple messages to friends stating their intention to commit suicide. One of the friends called 911 and provided the operator with details about their plan. Officers arrived and were forced to kick in the door. The women were intoxicated and had possibly taken pills, but refused to admit to making suicide threats. Officers noted that the elaborately arranged scene and evidence they found were just as the caller had described. The women — 33 and 31 — were transported to Harborview for a mental health exam.

WSB Editor’s Note: The WSBeat has an archive category of its own, though we’re still linking the weekly reports on the WSB Crime Watch page, so you can catch it there if you miss it in the main news stream. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening.

“And with street lingo favoring the word “cap” for “shoot,” the victim was apparently reassured when the suspect threatened, instead, to “clap” him.”
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Sounds like they should forgo the street lingo and favor proper English.

I can’t believe no one has commented about how wonderful the first entry is! How often do we read “it came to a peaceful end”? Warms my heart.

Puppies rescued…friendly children in restaurant bring joy to those around them…coyote ambles through yard, ridding gardener of pesky mole…man in car slows for swerving bicyclist, averting terrible accident….